His Obsession
by faulty
Summary: Hwoarang is in deep after realizing that he, noncommitment, onenightstand man, has grown a dangerous obsession concerning a familiar native american woman. HwoJulia
1. Chapter One

Title: His Obsession  
  
Author: Um, me.  
  
Rating: R  
  
Genre: General/Romance  
  
Pairing: Julia/Hwoarang  
  
Timeline: After T4, in USA  
  
Summary: After a brief encounter on the street, playboy Hwoarang and good girl Julia meet for the first time in a year. After the encounter, Hwoarang realizes that he's grown almost obsessed with the native girl.  
  
Author's Note: I was utterly sick of seeing no Julia fics (too many were of the same character *coughxiayoucough*) that I decided to make my own. Just note that I am a very busy person, and if I don't get many reviews the fic will be updated rarely. I'm sorry but, I write lots of other fics too and I dont have the time to update one that is getting no feedback. The more popular fics of mine I update quicker. Hopefully this fic will be a success. Rated R for language and sexual themes in later chapters. Lyrics are "Thinking of You" by A Perfect Circle.  
  
_______________________________  
  
Lying all alone and restless  
  
unable to lose this image  
  
Sleepless, unable to focus on  
  
anything but your surrender  
  
______________________________  
  
The night was deathly chilly and she'd suddenly wished that she'd of brought a heavier jacket, instead of the flimsy faded jean jacket that matched her pants.  
  
She didnt know when the night had somehow turned into disaster, but it had. She meant to only go to the club for a fun night out with her friends Christie and Ling, only to have it go sideways.  
  
Christie had immediately scoped out all the hotties at the bar, while Ling stood beside her in a flimsy hot pink dress, twirling her hair and making eyes innocently at each muscle man that happened to look their way.  
  
All the while, Julia sat with her hair down for once, drinking a little bit of beer and shaking her head sadly at her friend Ling who was having no success at picking up men despite her desperate tries.  
  
Julia didnt come to scope out guys, although she had to admit there were a few good looking ones there. But it came crashing down on her when Ling finally spotted a good looking guy flirting shamelessly with her and the two went off dancing.  
  
And there she was, drowning in her pitiful life alone with nothing but the alcohol that brought her an overwhelming feeling state of mind.  
  
That is, until *he* showed up.  
  
The godly Steve Fox, why did he have to try and make her life miserable? Not only was she NOT attracted to him, but she was annoyed by him to say the least. And he thought of it as sexual tension on her part.  
  
Of course she could easily just kick his ass but, she was a nice girl, right? She wouldnt just scream at him for being annoying and not taking a hint, she'd just sit there smiling with her mouth shut and her eyes focused on anything else but him. Nobody noticed her inner turmoil, or feelings that gradually built up inside her. Which was another reason for her being a fighter. It let out a hell of a lot of stress.  
  
And that was why her night sucked. She could have been home reading or doing anything else but hanging out with Steve, whose ego was bigger than his own brains. A hell of a lot bigger than his dick too, Julia thought smugly.  
  
As she walked the lonely streets alone like she always did, the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stuck straight up and she was overwhelmed with a feeling of danger. Or maybe it was the buzz she had for drinking a little too many beers.  
  
No, she definitely felt danger.  
  
Pivoting on her heel, her leg unconciously went up and her boot was level with the intruder's neck, daring him to make a move.  
  
But it was only Steve. A drunk, very foul smelling Steve. But still Steve. She sighed inwardly, lowering her leg and putting a hand on her hip. "Are you following me?" She asked, eyes narrowed.  
  
He burped loudly, and she sneered as he staggered towards her, grabbing her hand and kissing it sloppily. "Jules, I love you so much it hurts."  
  
"That's the alcohol talking." Julia chuckled nervously, removing her hand from his vice-like grip. Only he wouldn't let go.  
  
On normal circumstances she wouldn't feel worried, she'd kick somebody's ass if they tried to feel her up. But this was Steve. He was strong, if not stronger than she. And his brain was clouded with alcohol and god knows what else. She felt so small.  
  
His other hand swept around and grabbed her hips, smashing her to him possesively. His hand then trailed down and without warning, he grabbed her butt, causing Julia to tense and her anger to boil over.  
  
Grabbing his hand, she twisted it painfully and squeezed it, feeling a few bones crack. He yelled in pain and grabbed a fistfull of her hair and slammed her to a nearby brick wall.  
  
"You're such a bitch." He whispered menacingly, kissing her so fiercly it could bruise. Crying out in pain as he bit her lower lip, causing it to bleed.  
  
Julia struggled against him, but her strength was outnumbered. She was pinned to a wall in an alley, and she suddenly felt so fragile.  
  
Not giving up so easily, Julia kneed him in the groin, causing him to stumble and cry out in pain. He was only on his knees for a moment before he charged at her. Only he didnt get very far.  
  
Julia was confused as Steve ran right towards her, and merely halfway there he was tackled to the ground, with a fiery redhead on top of him, punching him continuously.  
  
As much as Julia yearned to see Steve beaten to a pulp, she knew that he wouldn't have done such a thing had he not been drinking. And she did have a concious. And she was sure that if she let Steve get beaten bad enough, she'd feel just a little guilty.  
  
Her hand rested on the redheads shoulder and she pushed him off, standing in between him and Steve. She gasped as the moon cast a shadow on their face and she just saw whom exactly this redhead was.  
  
"Hwoarang?" Julia whispered unbelievably. His face was set in stone, and his eyes had an eery glow to them that made her shiver.  
  
She turned around wordlessly and looked down at Steve, whom groaned and sat on his elbows, looking at Julia pleadingly. She glared down at him and spat, "Be lucky that you aren't dead, Fox."  
  
She turned around, face etched with mild aggravation towards Hwoarang. "I could have done that myself, thank you very much."  
  
Hwoarang seemed a bit surprised at her bitterness, but didnt let it show. He simply grinned cockily and tilted his head, "Oh really?"  
  
"Yes." Julia said, not so surely.  
  
"It didnt look like you were doing such a great job when I found you." Hwoarang shrugged.  
  
"Well I didnt ask for you to find me." Julia hissed.  
  
"Okay then how about we wake up Stevie over there and tell him to try another assault on you, and I'll just walk on by like it's the most natural thing in the world, shall we?"  
  
Julia snorted and breezed past him, shoving him out of her way. "Whatever. Just leave me the hell alone." Hwoarang watched as she all but jogged down the empty streets to her hotel.  
  
"I don't think thats an option, Jules." Hwoarang said to himself, shoving his hands in his jeans and walking aimlessly down the alley.  
  
He had no idea why but their was something about Julia he couldn't place. Hwoarang wasnt known well for being commited to a woman, he merely just got pleasure from them. He didn't need minor complications.  
  
But Julia was something else altogether. She was strong, stubborn, sexy as hell, and there was something else about he he couldn't grasp. She seemed to be hiding something, some strange inner feelings welling up inside of her. He knew there was another side of this Julia, and he wanted to find out exactly what that side was.  
  
Shoving his hands into his pockets he continued down the dark streets, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag of it. He could barely make out the silhouette of the woman he had just briefly spoken to a moment ago walking quickly far ahead of him.  
  
Hwoarang wished he could have spoken to her a bit longer. He'd only talked to her on a rare occasion when they'd bump into each other. He hadn't spoken to her in about a half a year, and now that they had spoken at least a word, she was as fiery and stubborn as he remembered her to be.  
  
And he loved it.  
  
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A/N: My chapters are usually longer but thought I'd stop here to see if yall want me to continue. I might consider other pairings for this fic too possibly if you really want to see it. Just tell me. But it IS mainly J/H :) 


	2. Chapter Two

His Obsession: Chapter Two  
  
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She eyes me like a pisces when I am weak  
  
I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks.  
  
I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap  
  
I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn back.  
  
____________________________________________  
  
Julia breathed in deeply, smelling a faint scent of household cleaners as the rain poured steadily outside the window of her apartment. It had been raining all morning. Having nothing to do, Julia had been cleaning all morning. That was why it smelled like household cleaners. And it was almost intoxicating. Opening the window, a gusty breeze found its way inside and chilled her.  
  
Breathing in deeply, she sighed and closed her eyes. She loved the rain, even if it may bore her from time to time.  
  
Instinctively her mind wandered to the night before, with Steve and Hwoarang. Steve had called her phone nonstop all morning, and she finally answered it after the 10th time.  
  
Of course he apologized like she expected he would, saying it was all a mistake and he would have never done it had he not been drinking. She politely accepted his apology, even though she secretly still disliked him for it, but she just wanted to be rid of him for the day.  
  
And then her mind wandered to *him*, the red haired beauty from hell that touched every nerve in her body, from lust, to pure unadultrated hatred. The man really knew how to rub her the wrong way.  
  
Wait, *lust*? No, no no no. She immediately crossed off the thought. She didnt lust after him, she just wanted to barf all over him. She smiled at the thought.  
  
But Julia was a little curious as to his behaviour the night before. She would have expected him to stand and watch her struggling Steve, chuckling at her while puffing on a cigarette carelessly. She was actually surprised he defended her.  
  
But why? Ever since the two had laid eyes on each other, all they did was ignore each other or bicker at one another. Add in a few casual flirting on Hwoarang's part and that's all. Thats all their was between the two.  
  
This thought troubled her, and she wanted to forget all about it. Sighing, she grabbed her jacket, and an umbrella, and decided to head to the library and catch up on some reading. It would definitely clear her head of all her jumbled thoughts.  
  
Stepping out into the chilly wet afternoon, she put up the umbrella and walked briskly towards the direction of the library, totally unaware that a pair of teal eyes were watching her from afar.  
  
Hwoarang was standing in an alley across the street from her apartment, talking to two street men that he usually did when he went out for a cup of coffee in the mornings. Totally ignoring them, he casually looked around carelessly, taking in his surroundings.  
  
Something familiar caught his eye and he looked back in that direction, and much to his chagrin, he saw her. Julia. The one thing that just so happened to be running through his head continuously.  
  
Groaning at the coincidence, he had to grin at the knowledge that here she was living in an apartment about a block away from his own. She'd been right under his nose the entire time, and he hadn't a clue.  
  
Wanting nothing more than to leave the two bickering men he was previously talking to, he quickly excused himself and walked out in the rain, pulling up his hoodie.  
  
He had no idea WHY he was following her to wherever it was she was going, he just had the instinct to do so. What else was there to do anyways?  
  
His military training had proven to pay off, and he was following her as smoothly, quietly and swiftly as a panther on the prowl. No one could notice he was following someone, not even Julia herself, whom in this position, was the prey. His prey.  
  
She was only walking about 12 feet in front of him, hardly anyone around, and he was bathing in the confidence their was no way she'd spot him even if she turned around at that exact moment.  
  
He almost laughed aloud when a very large brick building came into view, and he knew now where she was headed. The Library. He should have known.  
  
She opened the doors and walked inside as gracefully as a cat, and he followed soon after, heading the opposite direction and sitting down, grabbing a magazine and pretending to read it.  
  
Hwoarang watched as she shrugged off her wet coat, exposing her beautiful curvy figure to him. He had to admit even if he couldn't stand her sometimes, that she had the body of a goddess. Her hair that was in braids she had taken out and was now running a finger through her long hair that curled at the tips.  
  
He now decided that every thing about her was goddess like, not just her body. From her beautiful large brown eyes that hid behind glasses, to her full rounded lucious lips that he wanted nothing more than to crush to his own, to her tanned and athletic body.  
  
He almost choked when he realized exactly how far this infatuation of his was going. Not only was he following her to places he himself wouldn't be seen even if dead, but now he was even acting like some lovesick puppy.  
  
In love with Julia Chang? Yeah, right. He almost burst out laughing right then and there.  
  
But yet, even so, he found his eyes watching her every move, and fascinated by it all. He groaned when realizing that he was actually getting turned on by a woman searching through books for crying out loud.  
  
This was getting too far. He had to make a move before he killed himself.  
  
Standing up abruptly, he sat the magazine down carelessly and walked down the aisle of books beside hers, watching closely as she scanned through multiple books, obviously not being able to make up her mind.  
  
Smiling like a chesire cat, Hwoarang decided to give her a good scare. With his hood still on, he bent down to where she was sifting through books, and right when she pulled out a book, she was met with a pair of fiery teal eyes looking right at her.  
  
Julia automatically jumped back in surprise and tumbled over, hitting her head on a nearby ladder. Cursing in anger and frustration, she growled and clenched her fists angrily. She had just made a complete mess with the books.  
  
Hwoarang, whom now walked over to the aisle she was in, leaned against the bookshelf and chuckled at the sight of her cursing and muttering god knows what. "Problems, sweetheart?"  
  
Snapping her head up at the familiar voice, he saw a flash of surprise and something else he could not determine in her eyes, before it was replaced by anger. "You- you.. you barbarian!" Julia all but screamed, standing up suddenly, pointing her finger angrily at him. "How dare you!"  
  
Hwoarang's eyebrows shot up, and his eyes showed nothing but amusement, "How dare I what? I see nothing wrong here."  
  
Julia snorted in a very unlady like way, stomped her foot like a child, and cursed under her breath as she bent down and picked up the books that had fallen atop her, making the scene even more hilarious for him.  
  
"Fine, I apologize for frightening you." He said, and Julia looked up surprised as his change of attitude, expecting him to still be laughing at her, but was even more shocked to find he was genuinely serious.  
  
Hwoarang grabbed some books from the floor, and from her arms, and put them away with ease. Julia watched with much interest as he did this, fascinated with the way his long red hair fell into his eyes and he had to swipe it away every now and then.  
  
She had no idea how long she was staring when she finally realized that he was staring at her, expression amused, waiting for her to say something. She blushed and looked away, clearing her throat and muttering a 'thank you.'  
  
"What's that?" Hwoarang asked, knowing what she'd said. He just wanted to see her squirm.  
  
"I said thank you." Julia growled.  
  
"You're welcome, Julia Chang." He said with a smile.  
  
Not knowing what else to say, she rolled her eyes and mumbled a 'whatever' before standing up abruptly, swiping a stray piece of hair that fell in her eye. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab this book," She plucked the book Hwoarang was currently inspecting distastefully out of his hands, "And be on my way."  
  
Hwoarang was about to say something back, when he spotted a notebook lying on the ground by his feet. Julia breezed past him before he could say something, so he curiously grabbed the notebook and sat at a nearby table.  
  
It was clearly Julia's notebook, because it had her name artistically engraved on the cover, with neat little designs on the front. He wasn't one to be nosey, but this was Julia. He *had* to peek.  
  
Opening the book carefully, he was slightly surprised to see what looked to be poems. Grinning mentally, he read one. And another. And then another. It was rather strange, almost every poem she wrote seemed to be depressive or filled with sadness, emptiness if you will. He didnt expect that, he expected something bouncy and cheerful.  
  
Closing the notebook, he tucked it safely into his hoodie and put his hood on, walking out into the rain. He decided that the owner of this notebook would be expecting him.  
  
Hwoarang had remembered the apartment that Julia had exited earlier that day, and when he got there, he knocked on the door hesitantly. He heard Julia fumble with something, then yell 'just a minute.'  
  
It seemed like forever until she opened the door, and he was quite amused at the sight. Hair up in a messy, yet cute bun, pieces falling down her face, and wearing nicely fit faded jeans with holes in them and a fitted gray t-shirt, which now had paint smeared over it, including on her face too.  
  
"Did you have an accident or did the paint attack you?" Hwoarang asked, hiding a grin.  
  
Julia's eyes narrowed, "What are *you* doing here?" She hissed, trying to remove the paint off her face with her hands but only resulting in smearing it further across her face, which didnt help any, because Hwoarang burst into laughter.  
  
"I'm sorry its just, you just... you look funny is all. Can I come in?"  
  
"Uh, no." Julia said, putting her hand on her hip for emphasis and looking at him adorably. "You didn't answer my question."  
  
"Well can you at least let me out of the rain? I'm not immortal you know, I'm freezing my ass - bin//ezlclk.fcgi?id=10 off here." Hwoarang snapped, a little more aggravated than intended. Couldn't the woman just be a little more civil?  
  
Giving him one last glare, she pushed open the door, and he entered, looking around the room with much interest. Nice. Paintings on the wall, numerous books on the shelves, a nice kitchen, nice bedroom.....  
  
"I uh, I came to- well, you dropped this." Hwoarang said, shaking away his wandering thoughts by shoving the notebook at her.  
  
Julia looked confused for a moment, until her eyes widened. "My uh.. you found my notebook."  
  
"I think the word you're looking for is thank you." He replied. Their was a long moment of silence, until she cleared her throat dramatically.  
  
"You read it, didn't you?" Julia accused, poking him in the chest.  
  
"Whoa." Hwoarang said, putting up his hand. "Firstly, don't accuse me. Secondly, OW."  
  
"Oh shut up you big baby. And why should I not accuse you? Its not like you didn't have the opportunity to read it."  
  
"Can't you just believe me when I say I didnt read it?" He sighed.  
  
"No." She said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Well fine then! I read a little bit.. you write good poems."  
  
"I knew it!" Julia hissed, throwing her notebook on the chair casually. "I can't believe you. Do you just go around stalking people, taking their things, being nosey and then casually return them to their apartment. Which by the way, how in the hell do you know I live here? Huh?" She asked, poking him in the chest, again.  
  
"Hey! I said don't poke me!" He said, glaring back at her with equal force.  
  
"This is my apartment, I can poke you as much as I like." Julia shot back, poking him in the chest.  
  
"Don't poke me." Hwoarang growled.  
  
"Why? What are you going to do? Poke, poke, poke." Julia said, emphasizing each of her poking, which were by the way getting on Hwoarang's last nerve.  
  
Without warning, when Julia was about to poke him yet again, Hwoarang grabbed her fragile wrists and pulled her flush against him. Julia, a bit surprised by this, immediately lost her composure and found herself blushing, as their faces, and specifically their lips, were a mere few centimeters away.  
  
"Do you just love getting on my nerves Julia Chang?" Hwoarang said softly, staring at her lips. He moved slightly to where his lips brushed against her soft anticipating ones, making her eyes flutter shut. Just one swift movement and he could get lost in her.  
  
As if the world came crashing down on her, Hwoarang stepped away from her. Julia opened her eyes and watched as Hwoarang shifted uncomfortably on each foot, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I'm gonna... yeah." He said, motioning to the door.  
  
And she could say, or do nothing, as she was too stunned. So she just watched as Hwoarang exited the building in one swift motion and she was left motionless in her living room, head swimming with incoherent thoughts.  
  
"Damn him." Julia breathed, plopping down on her couch, forgetting her earlier task of painting, mind fix on one thing, or should I say person.  
  
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A/N: Eh, decided to end it there. Thanks for all the encouraging reviews, means a lot. And don't worry their wont be any Steve bashing, I dont bash characters. I may make fun of a few, but no bashing. I actually love Steve, hes coolies, I just had to have someone do the dirty work ;)  
  
Feedback is appreciated! :) 


	3. Chapter Three

His Obsession: Chapter 3  
  
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As soon as you stepped through my door,  
  
I saw you for the first time all over again.  
  
Time well spent seems lonelier than ever,  
  
like light years ago.  
  
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯  
  
Hwoarang had no idea why he was here. Well, it wasn't that he disliked drinking per say, but he wasn't feeling up to consuming all that much alcohol tonight. But yet, he found himself walking to the club.  
  
He got a beer, and lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke at the girl sitting beside him. Woman. Whatever. He couldn't really tell what gender the person was exactly, seeing as their face was caked with make-up that made him grimace.  
  
He didn't know how long he'd been there, a half hour maybe longer, but as soon as she stepped through that door, he knew she was here. He didn't know how, but he did.  
  
He turned his head involuntarily to look at the entrance, but what he saw he wasn't expecting to see, and it made him grip the shotglass tightly with anger.  
  
Julia had came alright, with Steve. But that wasn't exactly all. She had also come with Jin.  
  
Steam practically oozed from his ears as he tried to control himself from getting up and kicking the living daylights out of both men for even looking at Julia.  
  
Sure he was being a little unreasonable and frankly, jealous and overprotective. But it just *had* to be the two men he wanted nothing more than to die a painful death. Hwoarang wanted nothing more than to tear Julia away from the two men, drive off somewhere far, far away. Away from Jin, and Steve.  
  
Instead of storming up and beating the shit out of them like his mind was urgently requesting he do, he turned his head, jaw clenched, and downed his bottle of beer, getting another and drinking it in a rhythmic repetition he could continue all night if he so desired.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the trio walk towards the dance floor. Some pop song he had no intention of listening to because it sounded so horrible was playing and they were all dancing to it.  
  
He dared to turn his head, and saw Jin dancing with a girl he knew from the tournament, but never really remembered her name. All he remembered was that she was highly annoying and young.  
  
It soothed him to know that Jin was in fact not here with Julia, but it didn't sooth his nerves when he saw Steve dancing with Julia. What in the hell was she thinking? The man almost raped her for gods sake and now here she was dancing with him? Did she have absolutely no brain whatsoever?  
  
He chortled at the thought, and got another beer. He had no idea how long he had been consuming alcohol when he heard a familiar, gentle laughter to his left.  
  
Julia was sitting at the opposite end of the bar, chatting with the chinese girl that wasn't even paying attention to her, she was busy drooling over Jin, whom went unnoticed. Hwoarang had to chuckle at this; Jin was always blind when it came to womens infatuation with him. He had no idea what they saw in him anyways, he was a pain in the ass, dumb, and definitely not as good looking as he.  
  
It was at that moment that Julia turned her head and met his gaze, and she looked slightly taken aback. Hwoarang managed a weak smile, before lowering his head and taking another chug of beer.  
  
A woman was talking to him, but he didn't seem to care. Usually he'd take the opportunity to pretend to get to know her, then taking her back to his place. But he had no desire to, for his mind was set on one specific person no matter how hard he tried to change that.  
  
Soon enough, the blonde that had been trying to seduce him got fed up with his lack of cooperation and left in a huff, looking for someone else to supply her needs. And it wasnt a second later he felt another presence occupying the empty seat.  
  
He knew it was her once she'd sat down. She always did smell amazing, giving off a beautiful, sweet scent of vanilla and cherries, and pure woman. He loved every last bit of it.  
  
Turning his head to look at her, Hwoarang had to admire her beauty. Her hair was down, almost perfectly straight which was new, and she wore a revealing white tank and tight denim jeans. Her attire sure did show off the perfect amount of golden skin to arouse him.  
  
He hid his high interest with a cocky grin, before lifting the beer to his lips.  
  
"I'm sorry." Julia said sincerely, making Hwoarang almost spit out his entire drink.  
  
"What?" He asked, not quite sure his hearing was correct.  
  
"I said I'm sorry." Julia growled.  
  
He grinned, "That's what I thought you said." She rolled her eyes. "Why are you sorry?" He asked after a long moment of silence.  
  
"For earlier.. at my apartment. I'm sorry. My behavior was childish."  
  
Hwoarang shrugged, "I'm not mad about that. What pisses me off is what the hell are you doing here with them?" He said, motioning to Jin and Steve.  
  
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What's the matter with them?" She snapped.  
  
"Are you insane? Julia, Steve almost raped you the other night, if you can remember that far back. And Jin? Seriously.. are you purposely trying to tick me off? You know I hate him."  
  
"Since when do the people I hang out with concern you? As far as we're concerned, we're strangers. I dont know you and frankly, I don't know if I even want to with an attitude like that."  
  
She got up swiftly, getting ready to make a quick getaway, when Hwoarang quickly grabbed her arm gently and motioned her to sit down. "Sorry." He muttered.  
  
There was a long, awkward silence between the pair before Hwoarang slid a bottle of beer over to her. She cocked an eyebrow and he smiled, "It sooths the nerves. You don't look in the most splendid mood. You never had alcohol before?"  
  
"Yes." Julia snapped.  
  
"Then whats the problem, sweetheart?"  
  
"You." She muttered, snatched the bottle and added as an afterthought, "And don't call me sweetheart."  
  
Hwoarang smiled cheesily as she chugged the bottle and let out a small burp, her cheeks reddening. "It's cool.. happens all the time."  
  
It had been well over an hour, and too many bottles to count when Julia was drunk as a skunk. She couldn't see straight, she kept giggling like an idiot, and talking very loud.  
  
"I think it's time to take you home, love." Hwoarang said, standing up and placing a wad of money on the counter.  
  
"What? No!" Julia pouted. "I'm having fun! Aren't we having fun?" Julia asked to the empty space beside her, causing a lot of stares. Ling, Steve, and Jin had bailed earlier, not bothering to wait for a drunken Julia.  
  
"Jules, it's getting late. I better take you home."  
  
And without protest, he escorted her out the door, and down the street. Not a block later, Julia ran to the corner and puked. Hwoarang grimaced and picked her up, carrying her the rest of the way to her apartment.  
  
The door was unlocked much to his pleasure, and Hwoarang entered her apartment like a cat, turning on the light. Julia was already passed out in his arms, and he wasn't sure he wanted her to stay alone tonight. She was a complete mess.  
  
Hwoarang pulled back the silk covers to her bed and lay her down gently, covering her up. He searched the kitchen for a bucket in case she had to throw up, and sat it beside her bed.  
  
Sitting down on the sofa, he lay in the dark comfortably, the only sound being the light snoring of Julia in her bed. He groaned, flipped on his stomach and tried to ignore the fact that there was a beautiful woman laying in bed not a yard away from him.  
  
The night seemed to pass by quickly and soon enough Hwoarang awoke, in the same position he had fell asleep in. His neck hurt like hell from the position he slept in and his hair was sticking straight up. He really needed a haircut.  
  
He ran his fingers through his hair to remove the tangles and searched for some pills to sooth the headache he had, and the headache he knew Julia would have when she woke up.  
  
Grabbing a glass of water, he took the pills and walked over to the bed, gently shaking Julia awake.  
  
She groaned loudly, rolling over and tangling the covers in her legs, burying her head in her mountain of pillows. Hwoarang sighed and slightly shook her awake again, "Julia?" He whispered.  
  
Like lightning, Julia bolted up and stood straight up on her bed, emitting a loud scream of terrifying horror from her lips.  
  
Hwoarang covered his ears at this, "SHUT UP!" He yelled, causing her to stop screaming. "Damn it woman, it's not like I'm some fucking burglar!"  
  
She stood like a statue in her spot, not moving a muscle except from her eyes which would blink every so often. "Julia?" He questioned, wondering if she was even alive.  
  
Suddenly she seemed to melt back down into bed, covering herself up and groaning loudly, "I have the worst headache." She whined. She peeked her head from out of the covers and looked at Hwoarang skeptically, "What are you doing here?"  
  
He raised his eyebrows and hesitantly handed her the glass and pills, wondering if she was going to do something else strange, completely baffling him as always.  
  
"Thanks." She mumbled, quickly downing the pills with water.  
  
"Do you remember anything from last night?" Hwoarang asked her.  
  
She froze suddenly and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, stiff as a board. "You and I... we didn't... you know..." Julia stuttered, making Hwoarang chuckle softly. "Did we?"  
  
Hwoarang could only wish that had happened, but as much as he wanted her, he wasn't a barbarian. He shook his head, "No. You came up to me at the club, got drunk, and passed out and I brought you back to your apartment. Nothing happened."  
  
Julia let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Thank god."  
  
Hwoarang raised a brow, "Hey.. I'm not that bad."  
  
Julia chuckled, "I beg to differ."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hwoarang stood up quickly, hands in the air and a little hurt by her comment. He was great in bed! How dare she blow his ego like that? "I'm frankly hurt that you think so little of my skills, Jules."  
  
And even though he looked stern, she could detect mischief sparkling in his teal orbs and cracked a smile. "Oh no, how dare I deny your excellent bed skills. My deepest apologies."  
  
"That's more like it." Hwoarang settled back on her bed, and a long, comfortable silence ensued. He was liking the peacefulness of it all, until she brought up something he wasn't ready to confront.  
  
"So uh, about the other day.. when you almost kissed me." Julia said a bit uneasily, chewing on her bottom lip.  
  
Hwoarang's eyes shot to hers in panic, not knowing what to say. Why had he done it exactly? He didn't have a straight answer. "What about it?" He asked, a bit surprised by the calmness of his voice that hid his true feelings.  
  
Julia looked at him dumbly, "Um, *why* for starters."  
  
He chuckled in pure discomfort and stood, scratching the back of his neck nervously which was a habit Julia couldn't help but find adorable. He paced back and forth by the bed, not saying a thing. She waited, watching him like a cat, until he stopped and looked at her calmly.  
  
"I don't know why I did it exactly. I guess I must've not been thinking straight. It was wrong of me. It's best if we forget about it."  
  
Those were not the words Julia wanted to hear exactly, and it was bluntly heartbreaking. She hid her sadness with apathy and nodded, "Yeah, I suppose so."  
  
Hwoarang nodded and cleared his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I think I better go. I've been here all night, the gangs probably gonna wonder what happened to me last night."  
  
"Yeah.... see ya then." Julia said absently.  
  
He simply nodded and walked out of the door, just like that. She sighed and lay down, groaning out of self pity and a headache.  
  
Not a minute later, Julia's friend Ling Xiayou entered the apartment clad in a white shirt and black training pants, hair in pigtails. "Hey Jules, just saw Hwoarang leave."  
  
Julia groaned, knowing where Ling was getting at.  
  
Ling bounced over by the bed and smiled excitedly, "What happened last night?" She asked with a nudge.  
  
"Nothing." Julia answered truthfully.  
  
Ling gasped, "Nothing! Bull. I don't believe you Julia Chang. You just don't let any guy in your apartment. Especially one that hott. Something had to happen. You never speak to many guys."  
  
"Gee, thanks Ling." Julia said sarcastically.  
  
"I'm not saying that you can't get guys. I mean honey, you can get guys. You're hott! You can get any guy you want, you just kinda ignore the opposite sex. What I would do to get that many guys!" She paused.  
  
"Actually I don't want just any guy..."  
  
Julia smiled, "I know Xiayou. You want Jin, don't ya?" She winked at her shocked friend.  
  
"Jules! No I... how did you know?"  
  
Julia rolled her eyes, "Please. I saw you two last night. There was definite droolage."  
  
Ling sighed, "Too bad he doesn't know... I swear the man is as dumb as an ox. He like has no idea I'm madly in love with him."  
  
"Ling, why don't you just tell him?"  
  
"Hey now, when did we start gossiping about my love life when we were talking about yours?! Now, give me all the dirty details." Ling said, grinning widely.  
  
"Xiayou I don't know how many times I have to tell you, nothing happened! I got drunk, made an ass out of myself, passed out and Hwoarang took me home and slept on the couch. End of story."  
  
There was a long silence before Xiayou smiled, "Awww isn't that the sweetest thing you ever heard? My best friend is in love!"  
  
Julia's mouth dropped, "WHAT?! Where in that sentence did I ever say I loved Hwoarang?"  
  
Ling grinned, "You didn't have to. That dreamy look in your eyes when you said Hwoarang brought you home was enough for me. You're totally in love."  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are to."  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"Are to."  
  
Am not!"  
  
"Denial."  
  
Julia growled and stormed off the bed, grabbing some clothes and going into the bathroom. She came out a half hour later, refreshed and grabbed her jacket.  
  
"Whatcha doin'?" Xiayou asked, flipping through the channels absently. "Seriously Jules you need to get some more channels besides these nerdy historical and discovery channels. You're totally missing out on the good stuff. It saddens me."  
  
"Shut up and come on, I'm starving."  
  
"As long as you're buying, I'm game." Xiayou said, jumping up from the couch and following her out in the sunny morning. "You know what I want? Some cinnamon rolls! And some fruit! And some panacakes! And some bacon! And some waffles! Blueberry! And-"  
  
"If you want that much then you're buying it yourself. I think the real question is what happened to you last night? Jin boinked you, didn't he? And got you pregnant?" Julia joked, laughing at Lings shocked expression.  
  
"Julia!" Xiayou gasped. "Where in the world did you get such a dirty mind?"  
  
Julia too found herself acting differently. She was more open now, less closed in and for some reason she felt free. And she had a feeling it had to do with a certain red haired pain in the ass. Or so she says.  
  
___________________________________________  
  
A/N: Sorry this took me so long. I was updating another story of mine and got side-tracked. Anyways hope this was okay, kinda got stumped on this chapter so I don't know how good it turned out... And I was checking out this pic of Hwoarang and it looked like his eyes were a teal color, I could have sworn they were brown *shrug* Its arguable... Anywho how about you leave me some feedback, eh? ;) Thanks for all your wonderful reviews thus far. Lyrics are from "All of Us" by Blindside. 


	4. Chapter Four

**His Obsession:** Chapter 4

-

Like a bad star,  
I'm falling faster down to her.  
She's the only one who knows  
what it is to burn.

-

_He wanted her. _

_And she knew it too. He could tell by the way she kept sneaking glances at him through those cute black-rimmed glasses of hers. Like he couldn't tell. He had only been staring at her since she entered..._

_And now there she sat, like a good little girl, reading her current book quietly. Well, as he liked to think of it, pretending to read. He smiled coyly._

_The library was empty, not a soul around, not even the old stuffy librarian who usually was telling him to be quiet. Nope, now was his opportunity. Now it was time for him to show her exactly how much he wanted her. This would be fun._

_Without a second thought, he pushed the chair out from the table with grace, standing tall and walking over to her table in a few long strides. His right hand flew out and snatched the book from her hand before she had the time to react. With a disgusted glance at the pages that were the only object between him and her pouty lips, he tossed it aside._

_He knew she was nervous, she was trembling all over. And he loved it._

_Walking behind her silently, he drank in her sight with his cold teal eyes. His mask covered up his desire for her, but he knew that it couldn't last for long. Standing behind her, he took her hair and pulled it to the side, exposing her neck. Leaning down, he brushed his lips across the curve of her neck, and she shivered involuntarily._

_"I will have you." He whispered into her ear, "You will submit to me."_

Hwoarang sat up in his bed with a start, a small gasp escaping his lips, the thin sheet falling down to his waist. He blinked and looked around, trying to adjust his eyes to the dark. After he calmed down, he fell back upon the mattress with a sigh, running a hand over his face grimly.

It had only been a dream. One hell of a dream, not that he hadn't experienced it before. He had many dreams of countless women, but not any that had aroused him as much as that one had. And nothing even happened!

_What am I turning into?_ Hwoarang asked himself, groaning as flashes from his dream entered his head. Boy, how he would love to wrap his hands around that sweet little neck of hers and just snap it.. then all of his problems would disappear.

She wasn't even that special, for crying out loud! Sure she was easy on the eyes, and she did have one hell of a figure, and maybe her personality beat out the other hott chicks he'd met, but still.. what exactly was so special about Julia?

It was just in fact that it _was _Julia he was talking about, he concluded. Everything that made her who she was seemed to attract him like a moth to a flame. And by gods did he ever just want to kiss those pouty lips of hers...

Hwoarang growled as he realized that his thoughts were not helping the current situation at hand, in fact making them even worse. Getting up, he grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom.

"It's time for a cold, cold shower."

* * *

Lucifer could rot in _hell._

Julia felt miserable, she could murder. Curse the devil whom inflicted this insufferable pain upon her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't talk, she couldn't taste a damn thing. The flu was an insensitive sickness. She hated it.

_I bet it was that good looking guy at the coffee shop that sneezed on me last week,_ Julia thought morbidly. _That bastard._

Anyone that dared to walk into her apartment probably wouldn't find her; for she was knee high in blankets and tissues. Her hair was messy and put atop her head, glasses on, with sweats and a large t-shirt that needed a wash. And she guessed that she probably didn't smell that great, either. She needed to brush her teeth too.

She numbly changed the channel on her television with the remote, landing on a cooking channel that was currently discussing how to make some delicious looking.. something. Who cared? She was starving!

Pushing the blankets off her hesitantly, she was met with cold air and almost yelped. Sitting up, she grabbed her water and put on her slippers, dragging herself to the kitchen lazily. If she were paying attention, she would have heard the apartment door shut.

Hwoarang leaned against the wall, a coy smile threatening to spill upon his stoic expression as he watched Julia lag around the kitchen like she was carrying a load of bricks on her back. He heard her curse under her breath and that was when he had to laugh.

Julia, surprised at the sound of laughter that was most definitely not her own, spun around as quick as she could to search for the intruder. Which happened to be a bad mistake, because a headache soon split afterward.

She groaned, half at the pain in her head, the other at the pain in her ass; though not literally. Currently that position was filled to the egotistical jerk looking at her with all the amusement in the world.

She however, found nothing funny. "What do you want?" Julia muttered, her voice sounding hoarse. She cursed herself and tried clearing her throat, only turning into a full blown coughing fit.

Hwoarang raised an eyebrow at the display, "Got the sniffles, Jules?"

Her only response was a death glare.

He chuckled softly, walking gracefully to her side with a tissue offered to her. She had no idea where he got it, but at the moment she didn't care. She'd be safer off without the stuffy nose. Blowing her nose in an unlady fashion, she handed it back to him a moment later.

Hwoarang grimaced and tossed it in the trash, headed back to her, and promptly put his hand to her forehead. "You're a little too hot, Jules."

Actually, Julia was currently muddled by thoughts that she in fact was not looking _hott _at all; in fact, probably the complete opposite. She needed a shower immensely, she looked like hell, and she sounded like Darth Vader. Most definitely nothing attractive about that.

"Maybe you should lie down."

What? Oh, he meant _hot. _Obviously. She mentally smacked herself, before realizing that it wasn't possible to do at the moment.. without dying first. Before she knew what was going on, Hwoarang picked her up bridal style and carried her to her bed.

"I'm beginning to feel like this is going to be a regular routine." Hwoarang drawled, grinning down at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, "You wish, pretty boy. I can walk myself."

Hwoarang let out a noise which could only be described as a snort, "I bet. Now quit being difficult." He set her down on the bed and she immediately curled into a ball and let him tuck her in. Consequences be damned, she was cold and he was pampering. That was all she needed.

Soon he returned with a warm wet cloth and he put it on her forehead, immediately soothing her. Before her eyes drifted off to sleep, she could've sworn she felt fingers running through her hair.

-

She blinked.

Twice.... no, three times. And then four. And then she lost count how many times she tried to adjust to the light, only to come to the conclusion that there was in fact _no_ light. Actually, it was rather pitch black. Did she miss something? Was she blind? Was she _dead?_

_Julia..._

Oh, was that God? It definitely couldn't be Satan, for the voice was much warmer and much more enticing. Whomever it was, she wanted to have a good look at their face so she could figure out who the heavenly voice belonged to.

"Julia?"

A light came on quickly, making her snap her eyes shut and pull the covers over her eyes protectively. They burned at the sudden intrusion and she wanted to curl into a ball and hide. How dare whomever they were to shine the light in her face so brightly! Even if it was... heaven? What? Since when did heavens include silky sheets and fluffy pillows? And... red hair? Huh?

"Julia, are you awake?"

It was then she realized, as she opened her eyes she spotted the figure of none other than the owner of the heavenly voice. Her eyes widened at the thought, cursing herself for ever thinking anything about this man was heavenly.

"God, I hope not." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes and yawning in a rather cute fashion. Hwoarang couldn't help but grin. "What are you smiling about?"

He only grinned wider. "Did you know this is the second time you've fallen asleep on me? Am I really that dull?" Hwoarang asked, feigning hurt.

Julia rolled her eyes, "What are you talking about?" Sitting up, she swung her feet off the bed and stretched.

"You're pretty sick, Jules. I suggest drinking some of this, and taking a shower."

She eyed him warily, before grabbing the glass and practically downing the contents. Sure, whatever the hell it was didn't taste too good, and she hadn't the mind to wonder if he drugged her or something of the sort, because she was completely parched. And her headache was somehow miraculously gone.

"What are you doing here?" Julia asked slowly.

Hwoarang shrugged, "I came over to see what you'd been up to, and then you got all sick on me and fell asleep." Actually that wasn't the entire truth. He just wanted to see her. "Now go take a shower, you stink."

She stuck her tongue out at him in a very childish manner before dragging her feet toward the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it. Even if he was on his best behavior today; she wasn't taking any chances.

Now, Hwoarang wasn't one to take advantage of situations. Wait, rephrase. Hwoarang wasn't one to take advantage of sick people, but when Julia came prancing out in nothing but a short blue robe, dripping wet.. well, he was a single young man. And he wasn't blind, either. It _was_ tempting.

Completely oblivious to his burning gaze, Julia walked aimlessly around the apartment, drying her hair with a towel. "Where is my brush?" She mumbled, opening a drawer and rummaging through it, bending over and showing off an ample amount of leg.

Hwoarang cocked his head to the side and watched her movements like a lifeline, too turned on by now to look away. All he had to do was grab her and yank off the stupid robe that was covering the rest of his view.. and then his other problem would be solved. Uh oh, shes coming this way. Maybe not...

"Have you seen my hair brush?" Julia asked.

Drip.. drip.. drip...

Droplets of water fell off strands of her hair, trailing down her neck, between two mounds that were hidden from his gaze. Two more seconds of this torture and he would explode.

"Hwoarang?" Julia asked worriedly. He wasn't looking too good, kind of pale. Did she make him sick? She mentally scoffed, why should she be worried? She'd love to see him suffer. Still.. he didn't look too good.

He snapped out of his trance at her soft voice, looking up at her face and shaking his head numbly. Really, who gave a flying fuck about a hair brush right now when he had bigger things to worry about? Like for instance, obstructing her view of the growing bulge in his pants. Yes, definitely a problem. She needed to relieve it.

No!!

Hwoarang cursed himself. _She_ didn't need to do anything for him. Except maybe perform a strip tease... or just volunteer to sit on his lap and...

He shook his head quickly, shooting straight into the air and turning his back from her. "I uh, gotta go Julia. I remember I have to do something. Bye."

And he shot toward the door and left before she had the chance to argue. And at the same time, a perky Xiaoyu entered not long later, a puzzled expression on her face. "What was Hwoarang doing here?" She asked, closing the door and turning to face Julia, her expression faltering at the sight of her. "Er... I mean, what were the _both_ of you doing before I got here, hmm?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Nothing!" Julia squeaked, horrified that Xiaoyu would think that something was going on between the two. "Hwoarang came over today and I kind of fell asleep on him, didn't feel too good. So he waited until I was awake and made sure I got better. And then he just kind of left in a hurry..."

Really, why was she getting the impression that something was going on with Hwoarang? Not that it was unusual or anything, she barely knew the guy.

"Julia?" Xiaoyu asked worriedly.

She snapped out of her trance, looking at Ling with a dumb expression on her face. "Huh?"

"I said, Jin called me." A bright smile lit up her face and she continued, "He invited us to go dancing tonight. I think he invited Steve too, but I mean, seeing as you and Hwoarang seem to be spending some time together.." She winked.

Julia scoffed, "Please. After that catastrophe at the club last time, I am not drinking for awhile."

"Who said you have to drink?" Ling stated. "We're just gonna be there to party, is all."

Julia nonetheless found herself shaking her head in disagreement. "Thanks, but I think I'll kick it at the house for tonight. I'm gonna order me a movie, get some Chinese food, and relax."

"Okay, but if you change your mind, you know where I'm at." Xiaoyu said, a little sad that her best friend wouldn't be joining her night of fun. Julia smiled and bid her friend goodbye, before turning around and setting off to her previous task.

"Hn. Wonder what was up with Hwoarang?" She shrugged, and then scowled, "Now where in the hell is that brush?!"

* * *

Hwoarang had about enough with his sexual frustration. Which was directed toward one person. 

_Julia._

It was so aggravating, the feelings she could evoke within him just by smiling, or looking at him, or in his previous case, just by being wet. No other person could do this to him without trying, and he still wasn't quite sure why she could.

Or on second thought, maybe he was. He just wasn't ready to admit it to himself.

He was about ready to just call it a night and go to bed. That, or get himself piss drunk so he couldn't think about any of these stupid thoughts. Coming to the conclusion, he preferred the latter. Besides, he didn't feel quite safe yet to go to sleep. He wasn't sure that he could survive a repeat of his dreams from last night.

Hwoarang was about to get up and fetch himself a beer, when someone knocked on his door unexpectedly. Growling in annoyance and wondering who in the hell it could be, he got off the chair he was sitting in and opened the door.

His eyebrows shot up as he came face to face with one person he wasn't expecting; Nina. Nina Williams. The bitch from hell. Well, hot bitch. But still...

The woman standing tall before him was clad in a pink outfit that showed off an ample amount of chest, drawing his utmost attention. She wore a smile that wasn't too pleasant, and she reeked of perfume that hurt his nose. She slid off her pink sunglasses and grinned at him.

"Hwoarang..." She drawled, stepping into his apartment without asking. Yeah, she hasn't changed.

"Come in... " He said dryly, shutting the door behind him. He turned around to find her sitting comfortably on the chair he had recently been sitting in. "Mind sharing why you're here?"

"Oh you know, I was in town and figured I'd pay an old friend a visit." Nina said whilst inspecting her nails.

"If by _friend_ you mean the guy you pretended to 'love' with and then try to assassinate, well, then it's great to see you too." Hwoarang replied stiffly, heading to the kitchen and pulling out a beer from the fridge. No more than five seconds later he felt long nails prickling into his neck.

"Sorry about that." Nina whispered in his ear. She trailed her nails down his neck to his collar, standing mere centimeters from him. "I was only doing my job, you know."

Hwoarang immediately stiffened.

"Aw, don't be shy." Nina chuckled. "It'll be just like old times."

He turned around, and she let her hand fall off his shoulder. He looked into her eyes, his thoughts wanting him to tell her to go away. To get out of his sight. He didn't _like_ Nina. He never had, she was just a good fuck. Just like every other woman that had ever been a part of his life..

But he hadn't stopped to think about the one name that had been repeating in his head all day.

Fed up with himself, Hwoarang came to a decision; damn the consequences. It would just be one night. What happened to the spontaneous man he had used to be? He had gone a full two weeks without sex, it was unnatural and against all his beliefs.

When he sat his beer on the counter carelessly, Nina grinned smugly and roughly pulled him in for a kiss. He replied instantly, biting down on her lip hard. He dragged her to his bedroom and they landed side by side, clothes being torn off each others bodies.

He hadn't stopped to think about that name. Hadn't stopped to think about who he'd rather be kissing at that moment. Who he'd rather be holding closely to his side. Who he'd rather be standing next to. He hadn't stopped to think about _her._

Until it was too late.

-

Julia almost weeped in boredom. _Why_ hadn't she went with Xiaoyu to the club? Oh yes, alcohol. Damn the drink that should be forbidden; she hated this.

For the past 2 hours, she had sat there and stared at a TV that was not on. She flipped through the channels carelessly, finding absolutely nothing on. She then turned it off, and cleaned her entire apartment. And then.. then she'd stopped by the library to drop off some overdo books. And after all was done there, she'd sat down on the couch, her mind to preoccupied with her thoughts.

She was half tempted to just get dressed and go over to the club, damn the consequences. Anything was better than this. Anything at all. But she stopped herself from going to the club. Ling was probably having the perfect time with Mr. Perfect and she'd be bored and all alone.

Holding back a sigh, she turned her head to the left and spotted a phone book sitting innocently on her coffee table. Her eyes then traveled to the phone that sat silently on its ringer not far away. It was tempting, really. She bit her lip nervously.

What could be so wrong?

All she had to do, was find his name in the phone book. And if it wasn't in there, then it did her no harm. But if it was indeed there, she could just dial the number and see if he was home. But why on Earth would she want to do that? Surely boredom would not drive her to talk to the one person that drove her mad?

No. Maybe he did get on her nerves more than anyone, but he actually was decent company when he wasn't making fun of her, or taunting her. Which was usually always. But he had been there for her the past few days, and she thought she was seeing a side of him she didn't know was there.

Julia submitted to the urge and grabbed the phone book, flipping through it until she came to his name. Of course, he just had to be in there. She let her eyes scan the information it gave her. Hn. The address said he didn't live very far away. That was interesting.

She grasped the phone and dialed the number in the book. Her throat went dry when it started ringing, so many questions popped in her head that she didn't think about before. What would she say? Would he be there? Would he be busy? Would he not want to talk to her?

Her thoughts were cut off when someone picked up, and she held her breath. But the deep masculine voice that she was accustomed to so often didn't reach her ears. Instead, it sounded oddly like a feminine voice. And familiar.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end said lazily.

"Oh um. Sorry. I think I might have the wrong number." Julia replied hoarsely, praying to the Gods that this was not Hwoarang's number.

"Julia?" The voice on the other end said slowly.

She froze. Who the hell was this? "Yes...."

"What a surprise." They said, sounding not at all surprised. "This is Nina."

"Oh.." Nina? From the tournament? How interesting. Or not. "Well I must have the wrong number then."

"Are you trying to call Hwoarang?" She asked curiously.

"Yes." Julia said. "Is this his number?"

"Yeah. He's in the shower right now, but I'll tell him you called." Nina said.

"Oh, no that's okay. I'll just call later." Julia replied, having absolutely no intentions to actually do that. She said a quick 'Bye' and hung up the phone, sitting it down on the ringer with shaky hands.

She tried to tell herself it was normal for Nina to be there. Maybe they were just friends? Maybe they were more? She strangely hoped they weren't, but wasn't sure why.

Or maybe she did, she just didn't want to admit it to herself.

-

Nina hung up the phone with an evil grin on her face. She put on her boots and stood just as Hwoarang came out of the bathroom in a towel wrapped around his waist. She shamelessly looked him over.

"Who called?" Hwoarang asked, going through his drawers for something to wear.

"Julia Chang." Nina said, delighted at the sight of him stiffening visibly. "Mind telling me whats the deal with you two? She sounded _awfully_ upset when I talked to her."

Hwoarang turned around slowly, his red locks dripping wet, his teal eyes now cloudy and torn. "What did you say to her?"

Nina winked, "I gotta get going, babe. It was nice seeing you again. I'll give you a call some other time." She headed out the door and paused with her hand on the doorknob. "And if I might add, let her go. You don't deserve her."

The apartment was stiffly silent, the air was thick with it. Hwoarang stood unmoving, his thoughts still processing. He knew Nina, he knew how manipulating she could be and he just wondered what she'd told Julia.

It wasn't until now that he thought of what his consequences would be. And he hated himself for it.

* * *

**A/N:** ::ducks objects being thrown at her:: I know I've been away for awhile, and this non-happy and crappy chapter isn't the best way to state my return. I know some of you might absolutely hate me after you read this chapter. But I kid you not, this is still J/H fic. Sorry if I busted your happy bubble this chapter. If you guys are that disappointed, I might just throw in some hot steamy Jul/Hwo sex next chapter. Actually that probably wont happen. Stop thinking dirty. Perverts. 

Angst will be coming up of course. I'm extremely sorry for the long wait. I've been so busy you would not believe. I gave birth to my first child last month and I've been busy with that and now I'm just trying to catch up on college. Hopefully you're all still reading, I hope to not leave you waiting as long next time. Thank you so much for all the encouraging reviews. Keep them coming! :)

-Kris


	5. Chapter Five

**His Obsession:** Chapter 5

-

Hollow seem the stars in the sky,  
where my dreams they seem to follow.  
Shadows in the walls of my mind,  
and these thoughts that seem so shallow.

-

Seriously, someone up there must not like her.

That's the only thought Julia could come up with as she lay on the floor of her living room, looking up at the ceiling with a grimacing face that most definitely read _'Why me?'_

First she induced one too many adult beverages, resulting in one hell of a hangover. And then, an insufferable cold is inflicted upon her. And now... it was that time of the month. Thats right, major crampage. How she wanted to die. And not to mention, she was suffering from one hell of a heartache.

Because of _him._

_What an asshole,_ she thought for what seemed like the hundredth time. Of course she always did think he was an asshole, but those were for different reasons. Being that he was arrogant, cocky, annoying, self-absorbed.. those words kind of meant the same thing.

But still. He was what he was.

_And he seduced me!_ Julia thought heatedly. Well okay, maybe he didn't drug her, or take advantage of her, or try to get her to have sex with him, but he was definitely showing some interest. If he hadn't, why would he keep coming around?

And then he had to go and get with some other chick, whom he probably had been with for awhile now. Who was she kidding? She was more angry at herself than him, anyways. He had no reason to feel guilty. It wasn't like they were dating, afterall. He was not committed to her and vice versa. So why should he be tied down because of her? Nope, he could pursue whoever he wanted.

It just hurt to know he could be with her one minute, and another woman the next. She actually thought for a moment that she could begin to like him in a more-than-friends way. He was good company when he wanted to be, and he was very handsome to say the least.

And not only that, but now she had to handle the wrath of the one person that could coax anything and everything out of her with those big innocent brown eyes of hers.

Xiaoyu.

"Julia!" The too familiar voice rang out through her empty apartment; with a note of perkiness, much to Julia's displeasure. Really, could the girl _ever_ be unhappy?

"In here." Julia said, her voice sounding slightly hoarse. She heard the clicking of heels on the floor, and then an abrupt halt in front of her head.

"Oh no..." She heard her murmur. Julia couldn't see her face, because she was on the floor, now lying on her side, but she did have a clear view of the pink stiletto heels that were tapping impatiently by her head, creating quite the migrane. "Oh, this will not do."

Julia mentally rolled her eyes, sighing and then proceed to look up into the thoughtful eyes of her friend Ling. Whom at the moment had rudely interrupted her current state of mind. Before the words even left her mouth, she knew what she was in for.

"You've been moping on that carpet all day, girl. And that just won't do!" Ling paused and then jumped up and down excitedly, grabbing Julia's arm and pulling her up. "I know what will cheer you up! Shopping! Well, it does to me, anyway."

"But Xiaoyu, I'm short on cash at the moment." Julia replied dully.

"No matter, it's all on me today." She smiled and then pushed Julia towards the bathroom. "Now get dressed so we can leave."

Julia groaned and obeyed, coming out soon thereafter in a pair of faded jeans and a casual gray sweater, her hair up in a sloppy bun, glasses intact. Xiaoyu _was_ going to suggest looking a little more alive, but one look from the native girl and she shut her mouth.

The weather was not quite as agreeable that day, it was cold and windy. Luckily the two girls made it to the mall without freezing to death. Xiaoyu had a knack for shopping, and anyone that knew her well enough knew it was suicide to go shopping with her; she never quit.

But much to Julia's pleasure, Xiaoyu had lost interest in the stores after about an hour and settled for a more desirable area; the food court. Now that Julia could get used to. They both grabbed themselves something to eat and sat down.

Only Julia didn't even get to take a bite of her french fry.

"Okay! Times up, Jules. I wanna know exactly what is going on with you." Xiaoyu said in a serious tone that made her wonder if it really was in fact Ling she was talking to. She looked up at her friend aghast, and completely dumbfounded.

"What?"

"Don't _'what'_ me!" Ling said while waving her finger at her friend. "You've had this faraway look on you for the past couple days, you hardly have spoken a word, and you've been moping around your house like a lost puppy. Now tell me what happened."

Okay, so maybe she had underestimated Ling. A lot. She was looking at Julia with pure determination. Knowing she wouldn't settle for anything but the truth, she decided to let it go.

"Okay fine. I called Hwoarang the other day-"

"I knew it!" Xiaoyu exploded. "What did that two timing carrot top to do you huh? I swear if he hurt you I'll-"

"Ling!" Julia hissed. "Be quiet, people will hear you!"

"I don't care!" Xiaoyu bellowed, before looking around nervously and then talking in a hushed whisper. "Come on Jules, spill."

Julia sighed, "He didn't do anything, Ling. Promise." At her friends nonbelieving glance she continued. "I called him the other day, the day you and Jin went to that club.. I was bored, and figured I'd just see what he was up to. He was being nicer to me than usual, afterall. Anyway, instead of him picking up, it was Nina. You know, the blonde chick from the tournament?"

"That slutty girl?" Xiaoyu asked distastefully.

Julia shrugged, "Nina Williams. Yeah well, she didn't say why she was there, but I know why.." Xiaoyu noticed how her usual bright brown eyes became cloudy and she looked torn.

"So you did like him, didn't you?" Ling asked curiously.

"Yes." Julia sighed, "But I don't want any 'I told you so' either."

"I wasn't going to." Xiaoyu said softly. "But you can't just assume these things until you have the facts. And if it is true, well, hey there's plenty of other fish in the sea. But if it isn't true Jules, and it might not be, maybe you should go for it, seeing as you like him and all."

Julia shrugged, "If Nina and him have a thing, I don't want to be in the middle of it."

Ling sighed, hating the way her friend looked so sad. "Julia, I hate seeing you like this. Are you really going to let some red haired idiot ruin your mood? Forget about him, men are stupid anyways." She paused. "I know! You should form a plan to pay him back for what he did."

Julia raised a brow, clearly not liking the direction the conversation was heading. She could practically hear the sirens going off in her head. "I know I'm going to regret this, but how do you suggest that?"

"Date other people, of course!" Xiaoyu said, like it was the most perfect solution in the world.

"Eh..." Julia looked at her nervously. "I don't date much, really."

"Hmm..." Xiaoyu said thoughtfully. "Actually, you don't even have to date. Just pretend to date a guy, Hwoarang will find out and get super jealous, and you'll have him chasing after you in no time. And if you get lucky, maybe you'll meet a great guy - much better than this Hwoarang - and you'll forget all about him." She didn't even allow Julia to interrupt.

"Now... who to start with." Xiaoyu murmured, looking around the mall casually, trying to spot someone perfect to go out with her Julia.

Julia only groaned, at a loss for words by this moment, and hid her face in her hands. Not only was Xiaoyu going to set her up with a 'boyfriend' from hell, but they were going to be at the mall, no less. Wonderful.

"Aha!" She heard Ling cry happily, and before Julia could protest, Ling had grabbed her by the arm and ushered her through a crowd of shoppers, into the arms of...

"Steve?!" Julia burst out, looking at her friend with now looked to be newfound rage. "You expect me to... with.. _him?! _No way!"

Xiaoyu sighed, "Oh come on, he's not that bad. Actually, he's pretty hott. And he does have one cute butt." She winked, making Julia roll her eyes dramatically.

"Uh...." Steve interjected, now quite confused. "You expect her to what with me, exactly?"

"Well, here's the deal Ste-"

Julia slapped her hand over Ling's mouth, cutting off her sentence quickly. "Absolutely nothing, Steve." She said hurriedly. "Ling's just not feeling well right now, she doesn't know what she's talking about."

Xiaoyu peeled Julia's fingers from her mouth, throwing her a short glare, before grabbed ahold of Steve's arm and ushering him a little ways _away _from a now murderous Julia, whom was just itching to cut off a certain somebody's air supply.

"You see there Steve, Julia here has a little problem, and _we_ were wondering if you could help us." Xiaoyu explained, turning around and giving Julia a sickly sweet smile for good measure.

"What kind of problem?" Steve asked curiously.

"Well, she kind of needs a guy...."

"You mean sex?" Steve interrupted.

Xiaoyu shook her head quickly, "No!" Noticing the disappointment flicker in his eyes, she continued at a faster pace. "She's angry at this guy, you see. And I thought of a plan to get him back. We're going to need some help, though. And you're the guy _we_ came to."

And so, Ling explained the thorough, ingenious plan to a dumbfounded, yet intrigued Steve. After much persuasion, she got him to agree to the deal. He was to pretend to be Julia's boyfriend, to make this mystery man jealous. He wasn't really fond of the idea, but he decided he owed Julia enough, anyways.

With a wave goodbye, and on Steve's part a kiss on the hand to Julia, he sauntered away while a blushing Julia took in all the information given to her in that past half hour. The only words she could utter were _Oh. My. God._

Xiaoyu was so going to pay.. once she got the feeling back in her legs.

* * *

**A/N:** I actually had this finished awhile go, but had to wait for to get off read-only mode. Blah. But one good thing is I've got half of the next chapter already written so it'll be posted quicker than usual. I apologize if this chapter isn't quite up to its standards, I kind of rushed through it. Meh. No Hwoarang either, sowwie. Next chap, I promise ;) _On a completely different note_, I was wondering if anyone would possibly be interested in me writing another Tekken fic? My muse is doing wonders for me right now, really. Any sort of Julia pairing.. I was just wondering if you guys had any ideas or if you think its a good idea. (Don't worry, this fic will still be my first priority, heh.)

Anyway. Thank you guys for your generous feedback! Thanks for the congrats as well, the lil one is a boy - his name is Christian. He's spoiled rotten and looks just like his daddy, hehe. I can get really busy on whim so I apologize if you don't hear from me in awhile - if you get curious just drop me an email and I'll try to get back to you asap.

-Kris


	6. Chapter Six

**His Obsession:** Chapter 6

-

I saw the gap again today,  
while you were begging me to stay.  
Take care not to make me enter,  
If I do we both may disappear.

_-_

The plan worked almost like a disease; it consumed her day and night until she could no longer sleep. Her eyes constantly open, her brain always working, her conscience always weeping. She did not like the plan one bit, but she kept reminding herself that he deserved it. He had toyed with her, and now she was going to toy with him.

So when the next morning rolled around, Julia showered and got dressed and welcomed the day ahead. Steve was not bad company when he was sober, so maybe she really would have a good time. Who knows? _You're pathetic Jules, s_he thought morbidly.

She had just changed intokhaki's and a white button up shirt when the doorbell rang, her hair still wet. She cursed and rushed to answer the door, a little alarmed to find Hwoarang standing on the other side. If she wasn't mistaken, he looked lost almost.

"Hey.." He said unsteadily, running a hand through his long hair. "Can I come in?"

Julia honestly wanted to tell him to leave, but she didn't want to seem too harsh. She just had to pretend that she was not at all affected by the news that he was with someone else. "Yeah, sure." She said slowly, opening the door fully and letting him step through.

She watched with curious brown eyes as he paced back and forth on the carpet, throwing her quick glances every few seconds. He obviously had something big on his mind, and she was just waiting for him to share.

Finally after what seemed like forever to Julia, she had enough. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from pacing back and forth. He looked at her, and she almost gasped at the emotions she found in his stormy orbs. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, actually.

"Hwoarang, are you alright?" She asked softly.

He immediately broke eye contact, but surprised her by grabbing her hand and enclosing it in his large one. "Julia..." He began, his voice slightly hoarse. "Yesterday, when you called.." Her face immediately darkened, but he did not notice. He looked up at her then, "What did Nina say?"

She felt like exploding into millions of fireworks, angry beyond belief at the question. She expected him to apologize, explain himself, slight 5 percentchance he'd confess his love and marry her - but... that? It was like a slap in the face. Did he only care about his own half-assed image?

"Nothing, really. I just asked for you, and she said you were in the shower." She shrugged nonchalantly, hiding the anger she felt.

He seemed to let out a breath at the statement, which only made her even more furious. "Oh." He said, giving her a slight smirk.

"So, you and Nina are a couple then, huh?" Julia said, more as a statement rather than a question.

Hwoarang studied her closely. He was almost surprised to find her so calm. Actually... he was more like disappointed. Was she not angry? Did she not care that he had fooled around with another woman? Did she not_ like _him?

"No.. well, I don't think so. Does that bother you?" He asked quickly.

Julia merely shrugged, "What you do with other woman doesn't involve me."

Now he was officially baffled. He could've sworn she liked him, so why did she not care that he was involved with other women? He felt like screaming, she was so confusing! "Julia... if you have a problem-"

"No." Julia silenced him with her hand. "I mean it. I misjudged you at first, I thought you were just some rude, arrogant jerk. Well, you still are." She threw him a smile. "But now you're almost like a friend to me."

_Friend?! _Hwoarang thought outrageously. That couldn't be! She had to like him. He was crazy about her, so why wasn't it like that the other way around?

Then again, he did have sex with another woman, so maybe he wasn't all that hung up over her. Hwoarang felt himself feeling nauseous.

"Is that all you wanted to come over for?" Julia asked monotonously. "Cause if so, I must be going. I'm going to be late for a date." Actually that wasn't true, she was just going to head to the library and drop off her books, but since she had the opportunity to spill the information with him now, why not exaggerate?

When Hwoarang's eyes looked at her in alarm, she inwardly smirked. Things were working out so smoothly.

"A date?" He asked, his mouth suddenly going dry. "With who?"

Julia gave him a fake smile, "Steve."

"What?!" Hwoarang all but screamed, wanting so badly to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. "Steve? As in Steve Fox?!"

"Yeah." Julia said slowly, playing the part of the confused, innocent girl. "Is there a problem?"

"Of course there's a problem!" Hwoarang burst out. "If I recall correctly, the bastard almost raped you last time you two were together!"

She almost went blind with the red she was now seeing, outraged that he had not said what she had hoped him to say. "He was drunk!"

"That's not a good excuse!" Hwoarang shot back.

"It's good enough for me!" Julia yelled, now nose to nose with a fuming Hwoarang. Sure it wasn't the best comeback she's ever said, but it would do for now. Besides, he looked cute when he was angry. She wanted to kiss him.

He could feel her breath on his neck, and a part of him silently wished to take her in his arms and ravish her right then and there. The more violent part wanted to throw her into the wall to knock some sense back into her brain. But the rest of him knew that he was just jealous; that part he just tried to ignore.

"Fine! You want to go off and get raped, go ahead. Except this time I won't be there to save you." Hwoarang spat, eyes blazing into her own.

"Fine! I don't need your help anyways, I'm fine on my own. You can just go back to your girlfriend and forget about me!" She gritted out, clenching her fists tightly, the nails digging into the palm of her hand.

Hwoarang, now at a loss for words, silently stormed out of the apartment, heading down the street, not caring where he ended up. He figured he'd need to go back to his apartment and take a cold shower. That argument really heated up a lower region, and he didn't want to think about it now.

-

Now with Hwoarang gone, Julia quickly gathered her composure and picked up the phone, dialling Steve and praying he would pick up.

It rang endlessly, and finally when she thought her ears were going to ring off, someone picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Steve." Julia replied.

"Julia?" The deep masculine voice sliced through the phone.

"It's me. I was just wondering if you wanted to start the plan today, if you know what I mean." She questioned, grabbing an Advil from the kitchen when she found a migrane forming. Or make that two, rather.

"Yeah, sure. Xiaoyu told me you'd call anyways. She wants us to meet her and Jin at the club tonight." Steve replied, sounding rather sluggish.

Julia had to hand it to Xiaoyu, she was pretty crafty, planning the entire thing out. She figured she could handle one night at the club, just as long and she _and_ Steve kept away from the alcohol. That was the last thing she needed.

"Sounds like a plan." Julia said, fiddling with the phone cord unconsciously. "Pick me up at 8, then?"

"Sure thing." Steve replied nonchalantly, giving a quick 'later' and hanging up the phone. Now that _that _was all settled - she needed to return some overdue books. Grabbing the two hardbacks that sat on her coffee table, she grabbed her purse and keys and headed outside, locking her apartment door effectively. Last time she forgot to lock her apartment, her stereo and all the CD's got stolen. And for that, she took more precautions.

"I thought you were going on a date." A familiar voice, not 3 feet away from her, muttered quietly. Julia was so surprised by the unexpected voice that she literally jumped into the air, giving out a squeak of horror. That is, until she saw him sitting there casually, his back against the wall, cigarette smoke lingering in the air.

"What are you still doing here?" Julia asked quietly, not quite sure why he'd stuck around. Honestly Hwoarang himself had no idea why he walked an entire block, did a complete U-turn, and walked back to her apartment. He lit a cigarette to calm his nerves, and was about to leave when she came out, with 2 books in her hand.

Hwoarang had the now growing suspicion that Julia was in fact not going on a date. Unless it was with some scrawny, little virgin boy with glasses and a shaggy hairdo. In which case, he'd be a little less jealous, and a little more put out.

"I was going to apologize." Was the first thing Hwoarang said, until he mentally cursed himself for saying such a thing. Hwoarang hardly ever apologized, simply because he was so stubborn. And he in fact wasn't going to apologize to her, now, or possibly ever. Because he felt that she didn't deserve it, playing with his feelings like this. Pretending she liked him, and then pretending she didn't. It bruised his ego.

Not that he'd ever admit that he too was sending off confusing vibes to her; with sleeping with another woman and all. He stopped his wandering thoughts and continued, seeing Julia's suprised expression. "But I don't think I'm going to now, seeing as you lied to me."

"What?" Julia asked, dumbstruck.

"You said you were going on a date." He said smugly. "Which, it's obvious you're not."

Julia rolled her eyes, "You're such a baby. My date was rescheduled for tonight, for your information. Steve and I are going to the club and are going to hang out with Ling and Jin. Right now though, I'm going to the library."

Was it just him, or was the heat outside suffocating? Not to mention he could practically feel his face growing red. Not only did the woman manage to piss him off beyond imagination, she just had to mention the words 'date', 'Steve', 'club', and 'Jin' in the same sentence. Bitch.

His eyes narrowed and she couldn't figure out if he was trying to believe her lie, or trying to imagine hundreds of ways to kill her. Either way, it was completely unnerving. She couldn't stop fidgeting.

And within a moment, the steely glare was gone, replaced by a mask of indifference. Though she could've sworn she saw something flash in those teal eyes, what she did not know. And then he let out the smartest comment yet.

"Oh." He so stupidly uttered. And... that was all.

"Oh?" Julia mimicked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I just said oh, okay?" Hwoarang snapped, sounding rather irritated. "I've gotta go, meet a few friends. Have fun at the library, and on your date." He snickered, sounding a little too much like the Hwoarang she remembered.

_Hmm... and I thought he had changed. _

Nodding her head numbly, Julia brushed past Hwoarang without another glance and headed to the library. Whatever they had exchanged back there was beyond discomfort; it was suffocating. She was starting to get the doubts back in her head; this was not a good idea.

If Hwoarang found out about Xiaoyu's little 'plan', she was dead.

-

Seven long, insufferable hours rolled past for Julia. She went to the library, and then to the grocery, and then went home and watched 4 painful hours of the Home Decor channel; why, she did not know. Probably because her remote was yet again missing.

Thankfully Xiaoyu showed up at her apartment - actually she wasnt so sure if she'd rather be watching TV or suffering the wrath of Xiaoyu's fashion makeover. Or, in her opinion, complete disaster.

"Julia! Quit moving or I'll poke your eye out!" Xiaoyu demanded, holding a pouting Julia by her chin, black eyeliner levelled dangerously close to her eye. She wasn't helping the situation by squirming around in her seat.

"Ling, I think I can do this on my own. I _really _don't trust you with sharp objects near my eye." Julia whispered, afraid that if she talked loud enough the pencil would slip. Or Xaioyu would.

Xiaoyu rolled her eyes, "Oh be quiet, I've done this millions of times on other people. I only accidentally stabbed Christie in the eye once, and that was definitely not my fault!"

Julia yanked her face away from Xiaoyu's iron grip as fast as lightning, and bolted out of the chair, making sure to keep herself far away."_What?!_"

"You need to learn how to take a joke," Xiaoyu murmured, shaking her head slowly. "I was only kidding, geez! Now come here right now!"

Julia really would've protested, had Xiaoyu not glared at her so menacingly, her eyes reminding her of one of those psycho serial killers that were about to attack their prey. So she grudgingly sat back down in her seat and let Xiaoyu finish.

The Home Decor channel was _definitely_ better than this.

"There, all done!" Xiaoyu shouted triumphantly, letting Julia see herself in the mirror finally. "I'm telling you, I'm the master of make-up."

Julia inspected herself in the mirror, strangely satisfied. She did not have on her glasses, and her big brown eyes were outlined with eyeliner, with mascara on and dark eyeshadow that made her eyes stand out and gave her a smoky look. Her cheeks shimmered slightly and her full lips were glossy. She definitely looked different.

"Steve and Hwoarang are going to freak when they see you tonight." Xiaoyu squealed, jumping up and down excitedly.

Now_ that _got her attention. "What?!" Julia asked, now alarmed. "What do you mean Steve _and _Hwoarang?"

Xiaoyu's bright face lit up with a smile, which no doubt freaked Julia out even more. "Ling..." She warned.

Her friend rolled her eyes, "Chill, Jules. No big deal. Lets just say I pulled some strings tonight and Hwoarang is going to melt into a puddle of love at your feet."

Julia folded her arms across her chest, "Clarify."

"Well, I needed a way to get Hwoarang to the club, right? So I kind of.. well.. begged him." Xiaoyu explained.

"You _what?!" _Julia screeched.

"Calm down! All I said was that you, me, Steve, and Jin were going to the club and asked if he could come." She explained, shrugging her shoulders carelessly. "At first he said no, but I kind of talked him into it. He seemed eager to see you tonight." She winked.

"He doesn't know about the plan, right?" Julia questioned suspiciously.

"No idea. What do you take me for, Jules?" Xiaoyu replied, putting her arm around her friends shoulder.

"A psycho." Julia muttered, in which she recieved a hurtful look from Xiaoyu.

"That hurts, Jules. It really does."

Julia rolled her eyes and finished getting ready for that night, and Xiaoyu couldn't help the grin that crossed her face. Things were working out well. _As long as Julia doesn't find out what I said to Hwoarang._

Yes. She expected tonight to be one they'd all remember.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun. What does Xiaoyu have up her sleeve now? Hehe. Thanks to my lovely reviewers, as always! Love your awesome feedback. And don't worry if I take a little too long on some chapters, it doesn't mean I'm giving up. I don't really like to do that, especially if I actually have people reading my story ;) 


	7. Chapter Seven

**His Obsession**: Chapter 7

* * *

_For so long I have felt alone, content to live with unrest.  
Longing faded into countless nights that buried my weary heart._

* * *

There was one thing that Julia disliked more than an over excited Xiaoyu. _A suspicious Xiaoyu. _And the Chinese girl was definitely hitting her radar with all the mysterious grinning and sneakiness she was giving off. _Hn_. Sometimes she was honestly scared of the younger woman. 

But Xiaoyu had said nothing more about Hwoarang or Steve, merely gave her a strange look and left Julia's apartment so she could get ready on time for her "date." And right now Julia was no longer in the mood to try and fool Hwoarang. Maybe it was because of her uncomfortable outfit, or perhaps because her friend was being a little strange, but right now she just wanted to change into some comfy clothes, grab some Ben & Jerry's, and curl up on the couch and watch some discovery channel.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. She couldn't complain about Steve, since he arrived right on time, looking completely innocent and gentlemanly.. ish.. So with a sigh, Julia left her apartment and towards Steve's car. He gave her a charming smile. "You look great, Julia."

"Steve, you do understand this isn't a real date, right?" Julia sighed, getting in his vehicle as he closed the door for her.

"Sure, but if I have to play along I might as well put on my best moves to make it more believable, right?" He winked.

"As long as your moves aren't perverted.." Julia muttered, getting out herself as they arrived at the club. The black heels that Ling urged her to wear were killing her feet, not to mention these underwear _sucked. _Mix the two together and you have a wardrobe nightmare. But she was a little fond of the white silk camisole she wore, although the skirt Ling forced her to wear was shorter than the ones she was used to. Meh.

Steve held her hand as they walked in the club, the lights bouncing everywhere and the music pulsing through her entire being. He led her through the throng of people and she made out the sight of a pink Xiaoyu and a well dressed Jin. And if she wasn't mistaken, Jin also adorned a blush. How... cute?

"Julllllia!" Ling squealed happily, not seeing the finished product since she left after she was done with the makeup. "You look so great!" She leaned in and whispered, "_Hwoarang_ won't know what hit him."

"An anvil?" I hoped pitifully.

Suddenly, she gripped Julia's arm so forcefully that Julia suddenly wondered _where_ the hell she packed such strength in such a tiny frame. "What?!" Julia asked, alarmed.

"Hwoarang's here." Ling whispered, then gasped.. "With.. with.. what's _she _doing here?!" She asked outraged.

Julia tensed and turned around slowly. He wasn't hard to spot, since he was the only one with that color hair and she was kind of used to spotting him. Her eyes gazed beside him, and thats when she felt it. A pang of hurt, and worst of all, _jealousy. _She was shocked to discover that Hwoarang did arrive, but with Nina.. what a surprise. Not to mention her outfit was.. well, she wanted to say _disturbing, _but every other man was looking at it as God's greatest gift to man.

It was like a second skin, her top. And its neckline was almost nonexistent, plunging down her middle in a dramatic v-shape. She was almost sure she would be witnessing a tragic slip of the shirt if Nina moved at all. And her skirt was _way_ shorter than hers. And her gorgeous blonde hair was pulled up almost professionally. Suddenly, Julia almost felt plain looking at her.

She tore her eyes away and sighed, "This was a bad plan."

Xiaoyu scoffed, "So he brought a barbie doll, so what? Her boobs probably aren't even real, and come on, she doesn't even leave anything to the imagination. Not to mention Hwoarang looks bored with her. He's probably just trying to get a rise out of you since you're here with Steve. _Men_."

Julia opted to mention that she was doing the same thing with Steve, but decided against it. Knowing that Nina was Steve's mother (although they didn't seem like family) she looked at Steve to see if he saw Nina as well.

However, Steve was chatting amiably with someone she did not know, apparently not noticing or not caring to see for himself. He turned his head and gave her a smile, "Don't look too bummed already, we just got here."

Julia nodded, bored.

Steve pinched her cheek and grabbed her hand. "Well, if you want him to chase after you, you can't just stand here doing nothing. Lets dance, Jules!" She had no time to argue as she was rushed to the dance floor in a matter of seconds. Some fast paced techno song was playing loudly, and Steve grabbed her waist and started moving his body to the music.

Julia had no idea why, but she hated the way men looked while dancing. It looked so odd and amusing to her that she always hated dancing with men. So that was why when she started dancing, she couldn't help but to laugh out loud. Thankfully, her laughter was drowned by the music.

She shrugged and moved her body to the music, closing her eyes and letting it overtake her. She pretended that it was not Steve she was dancing with, rather it was a stubborn redhead whose eyes pierced into her very soul, giving her a sexy grin while she rubbed her body against his. His hand drifted down and she felt her skirt lift up, but rather than be alarmed, she made a sound of pleasure.

As soon as she felt his hands travel towards her butt, they were forcefully torn away. Julia snapped her eyes open in alarm, and that was when she saw it.

One moment Steve was right in front of her, and the next minute he was flying all the way across the dance floor. People gasped and moved away as his body descended on the floor, and she saw a flurry of red dash forward.

It was then that Julia pieced together what was exactly going on. Hwoarang was not dancing with her, but apparently, he was very, very angry about it.

Julia rushed forward as Hwoarang was hovering over Steve, punching him mercilessly into the ground. She shoved him off Steve with all her might, but he shrugged her off and lunged for Steve again, his hands wrapping around his throat.

"Hwoarang stop it!" Julia screamed, beating against his back.

"He had his hands up your fucking skirt, Julia!" Hwoarang growled, not taking his eyes off Steve, who was struggling against his vice grip.

"I said let him go, he can't breathe!" Julia yelled. Her words had no affect on him, so she took a deep breath and reared her fist back, and punched him in the face.

The force knocked him on his back, and he lay there, stunned. At that moment the bouncers finally decided to arrive, hauling Hwoarang to his feet and forced him towards the exit. He did not look at Julia once.

Angry and confused, Julia helped Steve to his feet. "You okay?"

Nevertheless, he managed a smile. "He can't kick my ass that easily." Julia looked at him skeptically and nodded, "I'm so sorry Steve for getting you in this mess.."

He held up his hand, "I'm used to fighting him." He winked. "But seeing that reaction, I think you got what you wanted. You might want to find him, though. Don't worry about me."

Julia thanked him repeatedly, and then walked to the exit that Hwoarang was most likely thrown out of. A figure blocked her way, however, and she looked up into cold blue eyes. "You'll cause nothing but trouble for one another, Julia Chang." Nina's voice cut through her haze.

"Not now, Nina." Julia muttered, trying to walk around her. Nina blocked her yet again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said, a small smile on her lips.

Julia was beginning to get pissed off. "Why the hell not?"

"He got pretty pissed off when Steve was feeling you up, he lost his cool. And what did you do, Julia? You punch him." She snickered, "I bet he's got a poor, broken heart now. Tsk tsk, Julia Chang, I thought you were smarter than that."

"What? I punched him because he was trying to kill Steve. Its not like anyone else was trying to stop him." Julia sighed, exasperated.

Nina laughed loudly. "He wouldn't have killed Steve and you know it. You panicked, and hit him, in defense of another man. He picked you, over and over again, Julia. But you were too blind to ever notice that." She lit a cigarette and shook her head. "Love is always blind. Pity."

And with those last words ringing through Julia's head, Nina sauntered around her and towards the bar. Her words were swimming around in her brain, and suddenly, Julia felt so utterly stupid. She shouldn't have ever tried to make Hwoarang jealous, or even go as far as she did. Because of her actions, he was hurting, and it was all because of her. Why would she ever want to do that, if she did in fact care for him?

A hand on her shoulder startled her, and Julia turned to see Ling staring at her with a mixture of sadness and apology. "Julia, I.."

"I'm going home." Julia said quickly. "Go have fun with Jin, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She stepped away and out the exit, and headed for her apartment. She had no idea where Hwoarang could be now, but something told her the last thing he wanted was to see her.

The night was cold and windy, her pace quickened through the streets to get home. It wasn't that far of a walk, she supposed. She grabbed her keys and turned the corner to her apartment. She walked to her door and unlocked it, but a noise to her left stopped her from moving. Turning her head, Julia was shocked to see Hwoarang standing against the wall.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the words stopped at her throat. He was staring at the ground, and she had no idea what he was thinking then, and she felt like crying. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

They stood there for a long moment, those words lingering in the cold night air. Julia felt as though time were suddenly going too slowly, or that maybe it was the wrong thing to say. But as soon as she stepped away, intending to just leave it at that and go inside, a firm hand grasped her arm roughly, preventing movement.

Julia looked at him and opened her mouth to speak, but the look in his eyes - eyes that were_ finally _looking at her - made her stop short.

"You look beautiful tonight." Hwoarang said softly.

Julia watched as his hand reached towards her and his body shifted closer, his face inching towards hers. Suddenly the air was thick, hot, and she felt as though it hurt to breathe. She held her breath as his lips were so close to hers, wondering, hoping. His hand touched the side of her neck, and he leaned in and kissed her cheek softly.

Julia let out a breath as he moved away from her, backing towards the street. He paused, "Then again, you always do."

And in a blink, he was gone. Disappeared.

But for some reason, she felt like crying even more now.

* * *

**READ! **I know, its been forever. Hopefully theres still readers out there. I kind of rushed through this, still, so I apologize if its not up to standards. Thank you all for reading, and reviewing, it means a lot. I'm not satisfied with the Steve and Nina stuff, but I figure since they aren't really main characters here, I could just leave it as I wished. **ALSO:** If you guys want more Hwoarang/Julia to read, I've got a story I'm building up, you can read it at my Livejournal. Its part of a challenge. Hope you can, it'd mean a lot. If you desire so, the link is in my profile. :) :) 

Anyway, til then. Ciao!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Ladies and gentlemen: **Letting you know, this is the final chapter. I wasn't sure how long it would continue, but the direction it was I knew it wouldn't be going on too long. Considering there isn't much plot to be discovered, its only storyline is Hwoarang dealing with his growing interest in Julia and vice versa. The story was winding down and now it has to come to an end. Once they give into their feelings then its done.. I guess I could have held out for a couple more chapters making them both avoid each other and be unhappy but, there's only so much I could write about there. Anyway.. I do apologize to those that have been waiting so long for my updates, its with my sincerest apologies I made you wait so long, and thanks for still reading! I also apologize if this still isn't up to par, my muse has been raining on me with this story and I am afraid it hasn't really helped at all (that's right, blame the muse!) Meh. Read on. Mwah.

Also, I am spamming my _other _Hwo/Julia "story", which I highly encourage you ALL to read (and let me know you're reading), you can find more details in my profile, it'll be fun, I promise.. Aaaaaand, you haven't seen the last of me. Bwahahaha. Okay. End.

**His Obsession**: Chapter Eight

_-  
His kind words just fall near your feet.  
With their last air, all they want done,  
is to be heard in your sweet ears just once.  
-_

Do you ever get that feeling? Where you can't stand it to go outside and do something with yourself, but at the same time you can't stand sitting alone. Or when you get so hungry, but you can't eat because it makes you sick. Or you get so tired that you can't even sleep..

Julia felt that way, right now.

It was an early Tuesday morning, it had been quite a few days since the incident at the club. She didn't answer her phone, her door, her thoughts. She felt so ill, but she knew that it was nothing like a sickness that infected her. It was her heart, aching. It infected her. _He_, he infected her.

She stared lifelessly at the counter beside her, the full glass of water sitting still beside her. Bored, her finger traced its rim, the sound being the only thing that made noise in her apartment. But she dare not sip, for her stomach would clench with its foreign taste and make her feel worse. That was what she was reduced to. Eating so little as to not even enjoy a sip of water.

The phone rang shrilly, cutting through the silent room. And it rang, and rang, and rang..

_"Hey, you've reached Julia. I'm either out or I'm busy, so leave me a message, okay?" _

The phone beeped, and silence met the other end. Then..

_"Julia? Julia, I know you're there. Please pick up the phone..." _Xiaoyu's desperate voice spoke through the machine._ "I know you don't want to talk to anyone, but we have to talk. I.. I have something I want to talk about. It's about Hwoarang.. I'm, I'm really sorry, Jules. It's all my fault and I- I- please, pick up.."_

Julia paused her motions, staring at the machine. She was confused by Ling's words. What was she talking about?

The phone hung up, and beeped again. But it did not ring again.

She stared at the machine longer, and sighed, running a hand through her disheveled hair. A pause, then her hand reached out and picked up the phone. She dialed Ling's number, and she picked up almost instantly. "Julia?"

"Yeah, Ling, it's me..."

"Thank God.. Julia, I've missed you..." Silence. "And I, I really need to talk to you about something. Please.. it's really important."

"Okay." Julia replied. "What is it?"

"Meet me at the plaza, in a half hour. I want to tell you in person. Okay?"

"Mm. Alright." Julia said, not really wanting to meet, but figuring Ling sounded desperate enough. She hung up the phone and got dressed, stepping outside for the first time in a few days. The light hurt her eyes almost, and she locked her apartment and headed for the plaza, Ling's words running through her head.

Ling sat at a small table outside that was surrounded by trees and bushes. She waved Julia over and motioned her to sit down. Julia noticed that Ling was fidgeting a lot with her hands and she looked a little pale..

"Julia, why have you been avoiding everyone lately?" Ling asked.

Julia shrugged, "I guess I felt.. sad. Or guilty, in a way. I haven't really had the energy to do much at all.."

Xiaoyu noticed that Julia was looking a little unhealthy, and a pang of guilt ran through her. "You saying that makes me feel worse about what I've done.." She whispered.

Julia's ears perked, and she looked at her friend suspiciously. "Ling.. what did you do?"

Xiaoyu dropped her head, looking on the verge of tears. "Promise you won't hate me?"

"Ling, I.."

"_Promise_, please." She begged, grabbing Julia's hands.

Now Ling was officially freaking her out. "Uh.. okay, I promise." She replied, "Just tell me.. you're freaking me out."

Xiaoyu took a deep breath and leaned back, looking at anyone but her. "That night when we were at the club.. and we had that plan, you know, to make Hwoarang jealous?" Julia nodded, motioning her to continue. "Well, I bumped into him earlier that day, said a few things to rile him up. He pretended not to be fazed. Anyway, I knew the only way it'd work is if he went to the club, right? Well, he refused to, and I kind of got desperate.."

Julia wasn't liking how this was sounding. "Ling, spit it out."

"I told him to take Nina, Julia!" Ling all but screamed. "I told him you were head over heels for him! I told him you wanted him there! I told him that Nina would make you jealous, make you confess to him how you felt!"

Julia sat there, stunned, not quite believing her friends words. "You.. told him.. to go with Nina?" She whispered. "But.. why?"

"I told him you didn't really like Steve... I told him you were trying to make _him_ jealous. And even if you were, Julia.. I.. I told him to do the same to you. That it would make you both see! Make you both less stubborn and confess how you felt for one another! I actually thought that was the right thing to do!" Xiaoyu slammed her fists on the table, looking angry and sad at the same time. "_I caused this!_ I'm the reason you feel guilty, why the both of you got hurt. It's all my fault."

The sun was shining, in the trees above she heard the birds chirping happily. People were walking by, smiles on their faces. Julia suddenly wondered why she couldn't be one of those people. She wondered how she got involved in such messes. And she wondered, briefly, why she wasn't mad at all.

Julia looked up, seeing Ling with her face in her hands, looking morbid. She paused, then reached her hand over to her friend, grasping her hand. "Ling.. you shouldn't get so stressed out about such things.." Xiaoyu looked up at her friend, baffled by the sad smile on her face. "It's not a good look for you." She winked.

"You.. you aren't mad?" Xiaoyu asked in disbelief.

"I didn't say that." Julia replied.

"But, you don't hate me?"

"Hey, I promised, didn't I?" Julia smiled, shaking her head. "Even though you have some of the dumbest ways of trying to play matchmaker, Ling, your intentions mean well. Sure, I'm angry that you're the reason I had to witness Nina with her six inch heels and her breasts on display." She made a face. "But its not all your fault. Hwoarang and I, we were asking for trouble. Nina was right, love is blind. It doesn't matter how many times you could try to get us to confess it, in the end, it just falls upon deaf ears."

Xiaoyu sighed, "Julia, you two may have been dancing around it for too long. But don't throw it away just because you don't know how to dance _well."_

Julia shook her head, "I'm not throwing anything away. I'm just.. not dancing anymore."

Ling raised a brow, "What does that mean?"

"It means.. that if he wants me, he knows where to find me. And if I want him, I know where to find him." Julia grinned. "But I'm not going to search in places I know will get me into more trouble. If I really want to be with him, I know what I have to do. Its just if I'm ready to." She stood, the seriousness of the situation finally getting to her. "Anyway, I'm kind of hungry now. Think we can get something to eat?"

Xiaoyu jumped up, "Righto!"

And do you ever get that feeling? When everything feels so messed up, that you are sure that it cant be fixed. Julia had felt that way, but it was suddenly as if the universe shifted, letting you know that it could be fixed. And when Xiaoyu jumped up and down, bouncing happily as she led her into the plaza, she felt as though a part of it was getting fixed now. And she realized, she didn't want to be anyone else. Because she was fine dealing with her own messes, as messed up as they could make her feel.

A flash of red from the corner of her eye made Julia halt her thoughts, turning her head quickly towards the edge of the trees, where they stopped and disappeared beyond the many buildings surrounding her. But there was no one there.. she was sure, for a moment..

Xiaoyu tugged on her and Julia snapped out of her daze, looking ahead and smiling as they headed into one of the buildings. Yeah, she wouldn't dance anymore.._ especially not with Steve, _she mused inwardly.

-

It had been 3 long hours since Julia and Xiaoyu had had their talk, and since then Xiaoyu dragged her to eat, to get clothes, to rent some movies, to get more clothes, to get ice cream, and more clothes.. and Julia was almost _dead. _Xiaoyu however, had no signs of fatigue at all, much to her displeasure. She was chatting amiably with one of the store workers about some sort of dress that was on sale. Julia had opted against dress shopping and had simply sat on one of the chairs offered, surely, to poor souls like her forced to stare at fabric upon fabric of 'blowout sale prices' that she was sure caused by the devil himself. (Or maybe just Devil Jin.. ha.. ha... eh..)

Suddenly her cell phone rang, which was something of a new experience since the only one that usually called this number was, well, Ling.

"Hello?" Julia said curiously, not noticing the number.

"Go to the club downtown tonight, Julia Chang." A familiar voice said on the other side of the phone.

Julia's face twisted, confused. "Nina?"

A chuckle, "Lets just say I have a keen eye for red haired pain in the asses when they're suffering from heartache. The club, downtown. You're the only one that can help him now, Julia Chang. Lets hope you're as smart as you think you are."

_Call ended._

Julia stared at her phone, baffled. Had Nina just... given her advice?

"What's up?" Xiaoyu chirped, three different dresses in her hand.

"That was.. Nina..." Julia said slowly, still confused.

Xiaoyu's jaw dropped, "What?!"

"She.. gave me some advice." Julia continued, putting her phone away and standing up.

"Uh, good advice?" Xiaoyu questioned curiously, heading for the exit.

Julia shrugged, "I'll let you know."

_What the hell? _She thought, waving goodbye to her friend and walking back to her apartment, her thoughts filled with Nina's words. _One minute she tells me to leave him alone, and now I'm supposed to what, go have a drink with him?_

_Dance with him,_ her mind whispered.

Julia shook her head, entered her apartment and kicked off her shoes. The time read to be almost 6 o'clock, so she shrugged out of her clothes and into the shower. For a second, she decided against following Nina's orders. It hadn't yet been a week since the last time she saw him, and honestly she wasn't sure if she was strong enough to say the right thing. Or even if she knew the right thing to say..

So Julia took a shower, dried her hair and left it down. She searched through her wardrobe and noticed herself asking, _'What would he like most?' _ She grabbed a sheer, golden tank that she remembered Hwoarang commenting about a long time ago. Then she grabbed a nice, faded jean skirt. She left her hair down, and her glasses on, nevertheless. By the time her nerves had calmed and she was ready, the time had passed quickly.

If Nina was right.. if she were the only one that could help him.. Julia figured that she owed him at least that much. Taking a deep breath, she turned off the lights to her apartment and headed out, towards the club that she was told he'd be at. Hopefully she wasn't too late.

The closer she got the more nervous she felt, her palms feeling itchy and hot. Doubts filled her head and she forced herself to shrug it off, knowing that now was not the time to get cold feet. As the lights came into view, she forced herself not to run, and prayed that he would be there like Nina had said.

Julia was let in with ease. Since it was only a Tuesday, it wasn't as packed as it usually was. There weren't as many people dancing and the music wasn't as loud. She scanned the room for red hair, and she smiled as she noticed a figure sitting by the bar, his back to her. His hair was tied, and he sat alone wearing jeans and a nice white button up shirt, that looked a little disheveled. His shoulders were slouched, and he was alone. She spotted he was drinking, a little worried he was already severely drunk.

Straightening her shoulders, she mustered all the courage she could and walked towards him slowly. His head didn't turn, like it usually did when he noticed her presence. Good, she wanted to surprise him. Taking the seat to his left, Julia hesitantly sat down and placed her hands on the counter. "Could I have a water?" Julia asked the bartender. He nodded and got her some.

Julia felt him tense, but she didn't turn to face him. "A rude woman told me where I could find you, but I will admit I didn't believe her."

He didn't say anything. She didn't expect him to.

"You know, I've been doing this all wrong." Julia chuckled nervously. "I kept trying to make myself believe that you were just some pain in the ass guy that kept showing up. I think I was just fooling myself because I was scared about how I really felt."

Hwoarang turned his head, barely, but she noticed it. Good. "So tell me Hwoarang, what made you more angry? Was it that I actually punched you, or that I was dancing with Steve even though you knew I wanted to dance with you?"

Music drifted to her ears then, slow music. She turned her head and noticed people dancing together, slowly, but dancing. She smiled and stood, holding her hand out in front of him. When he made no movement she leaned down and whispered, "Dance with me, Hwoarang."

Maybe her heart was beating because she was scared that he would decline, that it was really too late. But when she felt the warmth of his hand enclose hers, she felt as though her heart was surely going to explode any minute. She looked up into his teal gaze, one that she knew would surely burn into her very soul, and guided him towards the floor.

Strong arms guided hers around his neck, and then wrapped themselves around her middle, and she suddenly had never felt more safe. His hair fell out of their hold and into his eyes, but she knew that he was staring at her. Julia moved her hand and swept away his bangs, her fingers lingering on his face. Her eyes shifted, moved over his entire facial features, and they were drinking him in as if seeing him for the first time. _I wasn't too late, _she admonished.

Hwoarang moved with her gently, and she was happy this wasn't a dream. Suddenly, he grinned softly, resting his chin against the top of her head. "This song isn't very good.." He chuckled, his chest rumbling beneath her.

Julia shook her head, "You're ruining the moment.."

His chin lifted and he tilted his head to gaze into her eyes. "No, Julia.. " He smiled. "I could never."

And then his gaze drifted downwards and rested on her lips, which were smiling unknowingly. Dazed, he grabbed hold of her chin lightly and descended his mouth upon hers, deciding that now he had to drink all of her in, whatever she would let him do, it was now or never.

The kiss was soft and slow, nothing like she had imagined how Hwoarang could ever kiss her, and she sighed deep into the kiss. He pulled back and brushed her hair from her face, and she realized they weren't really dancing anymore. He smiled, "I like your shirt."

Julia chuckled, "I know."

Maybe it was the alcohol, but suddenly Hwoarang's mind felt.. funny. Light. Different. He had kissed the woman who dominated all of his thoughts for so long, and suddenly felt like a new man. It was then that he realized, that for the first time in a long time, he was happy. Truly happy, because of her. That was enough to make him kiss her again.

"You are my obsession, Julia Chang." He whispered, resting his chin on her crown.

She smiled, "No.. such a man as yourself could never stoop so low as to be obsessed with someone. Why, that would require much discomfort and violence and, daresay, you might just hurt anyone that so much as touches me. It cant be that.." She joked.

Hwoarang snorted, not amused. "Then I guess there's only one thing that it could be.." Julia looked up at him, curious. "It must be love."

They stared at each other for a long silent moment, until Julia smiled, soft laughter escaping her mouth as she punched him lightly in the shoulder. Hwoarang's mouth quirked, and he too laughed with her. Kissing each other was one thing, but they were both sure that it would require lots more dancing before they'd admit they were _in love. _ (They were both fine with that.)

_The End._


End file.
